Over the years, Southwest Florida gem master Mark Loren’s creations have racked up accolades and fans for their uniqueness, but now that honor is about to get a bit more “multi-faceted.” That’s because Loren is introducing his own signature Firelight diamond cut that makes his round stones sparkle more brilliantly than others.

“An ordinary, round diamond cut has 57 facets, or sides,” Loren says. “Our new Firelight diamond has 81 facets. The more facets a diamond has, the more brilliantly it sparkles.”

Loren’s design team not only creates new pieces, but also helps customers give old pieces new life by creating new settings or styles. About a year ago, they noticed that the older stones, particularly those dating before 1939 with more European-style cuts, that came into their shop were prettier and shone more brilliantly than newer diamonds. They saw an opportunity for improvement.

“We thought ‘these stones are better than 90 percent of the newer diamonds out there. There has to be a way to combine the best of their traits with new technology and create a better cut,” Loren says. From there, the idea for Firelight was born.

Loren and his team worked with an Israel-based diamond cutter for approximately a year to create a stone with just the right brilliance, creating several prototypes before finally selecting the design.

Firelight diamonds have a higher dome than traditional round-cut diamonds, and no shadows. Available exclusively at Loren’s Fort Myers studio, each Firelight diamond has the jeweler’s logo laser-etched in it for identification purposes, but invisible to the naked eye.

Loren describes his trademark-pending diamond cut as reminiscent of a European cut, but with modern brilliance. Its many facets provide more sides for entering light to reflect off of, causing it to shine “like Firelight.”

“In today’s jewelry industry, there’s a lot of sameness,” Loren says. “You have to set yourself apart. Our clients have come to expect more from us, so we felt we owed it to them to come up with a diamond not many other people will have. When it’s combined with one of our unique settings, each piece is truly an exquisite work of art.”

And this premium diamond doesn’t necessarily come with a premium price. While the cost for stones is determined mainly by their size and quality, Loren estimates a Firelight diamond will only cost five to 10 percent more than a diamond with the same size, color and clarity, but a different cut.

“By introducing the Firelight diamond, we’re providing our customers with another way to make the jewelry they design with and purchase from us as unique as they are,” Loren says. He may eventually license the cut to other jewelers, but for now, will enjoy having a unique stone available only to his clients.

Firelight diamonds will be available at Mark Loren Designs in Fort Myers, Fla. beginning Jan. 29. The studio is located at 13351 McGregor Boulevard, Fort Myers, Fla., 33919.